Odyssey - Maps + timelines

Haywood, J.: The New Atlas of World History: Global Events at a Glance.
When did humans first inhabit different parts of the world?

What was happening in China when Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire? What was the global reach of the great religions at the time of the Reformation in Europe? The New Atlas of World History is the first historical atlas to present global history in a series of uniform world maps, allowing at-a-glance comparison between different periods and regions.

La guerre globale enseigne la cartogaphie globale. Random notes: geographer-at-large. Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Satirical Maps:#1. Detail of India from “The Illustration of The Great European War No.16 -- A humorous Atlas of the World,” by Tanaka, published in Japan, 1914.

A rare satirical / political map f rom the Asian Perspective. There is a whole genre in map-making that entails using anthropomorphic or zoomorphic figures in maps. This is a tradition that began in the mediaeval times and continues until the present day. There are several sub-genres of these anthropomorphic maps, one of which is the satirical or political cartoon type map which uses animals or people to create the outline borders of nations.

These are very cleverly done, and are often brilliant commentaries on events or circumstances of the day, usually espousing a partisan point of view of the facts.
Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Satirical Maps:#2. Detail of China from “The Illustration of The Great European War No.16 -- A humorous Atlas of the World,” by Tanaka, published in Japan, 1914.

A rare satirical / political map f rom the Asian Perspective. The China-as-pig figure is seen examining the Manchurian lands of the former Qing Dynasty (ousted in the revolution to be replaced by the early form of the Republic of China) through a magnifying glass. The Gerrymander, 1812 “The painter Gilbert Stuart was inspired by the awkward shape of an electoral district on a map he saw in a newspaper editor’s office. He decorated the snake-shaped district with a head, a set of wings and claws, making it out to be some kind of antediluvian monster.
Anthropomorphic and Zoomorphic Satirical Maps:#3. Australian Big Business Octopus, 2010 Here is our friend, the Octopus, again, which features in many of the satirical map cartoons of yesteryear.

It is still an enduring symbol of stranglehold by whomever is seen in the moment as being the powerful/despotic/evil-doers. This Octopus cartoon represents a response to the proposed mining tax in Australia, and uses a familiar trope in a knowledgeable way.
Rediscovering African Geographies. The Catalan Atlas , 1375, by Abraham Cresques – detail showing Northern Africa, with a depiction of The King of Mali and Lord of Guinea, Mansa Musa, 1312-1337, seated on his throne in a stately fashion with crown, orb, and scepter, with the inscription: The richest and noblest King in the world.

“This ‘atlas’ was the work of a family of Catalonian Jews who worked in Majorca at the end of the 14th century and was commissioned by Charles V of France at a time when the reputation of the Catalan chartmakers was at its peak. King Charles requested this map from Peter of Aragon, patron of the best Majorcan mapmaker of the time: Abraham Cresques.
Unconventional (yet informative!) Maps of the Big Apple. Here are some cool maps on New York City (and yes, I am aware that for the most part, this means Manhattan below 96 th Street! But what can one do?). Ahhh....New York City, aka The Big Apple. Or “the big stinky apple,” as one of my nephews calls it (btw, he’s NOT a New Yorker, obvio!).
TimeMaps - World History TimeMap. The Map Scroll. European History Interactive Map. The Flow of History. The map as history : a multimedia atlas of world history with animated historical maps.